NEW YORK -- The call came to the bullpen in the sixth inning and bullpen coach Ricky Bones asked Jenrry Mejia if he could pitch that night. Terry Collins' plan to make it through the game had fallen through, so he asked pitching coach Dan Warthen to ring with a proposal: "Listen, we need you tonight, you’re the last line of defense here.’

Collins had hoped Jon Niese could make it through seven innings, then Vic Black would pitch the eighth. Mejia would have a one inning outing.

But Niese could even get through the sixth, forcing Mejia to come in for a two inning save in the Mets 4-2 win over the Pirates.

"I got all the confidence in the world," Collins said. "Tonight was a perfect example of a guy who said 'Look, I’ll do what I can to help the team'. He didn’t want to go to the bullpen, we know that. Now we ask him to pitch the ninth inning....That’s impressive. He’s gonna take to this pretty easy."

It was another marker notched for Mejia since moving to the bullpen. He had pitched both games of Sunday's doubleheader, now he was pitching for a third time in three days.

Mejia responded to Bones with no hesitation that he could go in. So the Mets called on him. He pitched the eighth and ninth without incident, though he walked two.

In eight appearances out of the bullpen, Mejia has thrown 9 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out nine, and running up four saves.

Now, Mejia says he is ready to pitch three days in a row, if need be.

Mejia says now he is ready to pitch three days in a row, if need be. And after the game he still felt fresh.